Wow, tomorrow will already be my third week as an intern with the Lakeland Flying Tigers. In the past three weeks, I have written press releases, had a meeting with a possible client concerning advertising, helped organize the Detroit Tigers spring training program insert, posted stories on our website, http://www.LakelandFlyingTigers.com, written a newsletter to our fans, assisted in designing our brand new website, and attended the Florida State League (FSL) “Boot Camp.

The FSL Boot Camp is where interns from all FSL teams gather for a one day crash course on the business of Minor League Baseball. This year, the boot camp was held in Jupiter, FL, which is the home of the Jupiter Hammerheads (Single A Affiliate of the Florida Marlins) and the Palm Beach Cardinals (Single A Affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals). The guest speakers of the day were general managers, assistant general managers, and other front office personnel in the league. The boot camp was a great experience. Even though I have worked for two other teams besides the Flying Tigers, I still learned a great deal.

As I mentioned, the ticket manager of the Flying Tigers and I are in the process of developing a brand new website for the Flying Tigers, Tiger Town Complex, and spring training. He and I have put a lot of time into the development of our new website. We literally had to layout all of the main pages by using Microsoft Excel. By layout I mean we had to decide where we wanted our auction button, whether or not we wanted to link birthday parties to Flying Tigers and spring training, and the color of our entire site. Then we had to write a brief description for every section we will have in our new website. In the next week, we are hoping to forward the information to our website developer. Once that is done, the next step is building the content. I am really looking forward to the launch of the new site because it should be really nice.

The transition from a college student to a full time employee has been relatively easy for me. Gone are the days of reading every night and studying before every test. My only obligation to my education right now is a log that is to be completed every Monday. Weekly I am required to explain my goal for the upcoming week, whether or not I met the goal (if I did not, I need to explain why), the job tasks I performed during the week, and then a goal for next week. By the end of the semester, I will submit a paper that describes my internship. I will also have a presentation on my internship, as well.

I have had the opportunity to return to Saint Leo a few times to visit my girlfriend. Every single time I enter campus I think to myself, “I can’t believe I am back."

In almost three weeks, spring training will be in full swing! It is going to be nice to hear the sound of the bat hitting the ball once again. Our first game is an exhibition match against Florida Southern College on Tuesday, February 26th at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland. We open up the spring season against the New York Mets on Wednesday, February 27th at our stadium in Lakeland as well. In the mean time, be sure to check out our website!

Posted by Ryan Jones at 9:52 PM | Permalink

It is Sunday, January 6th and I just moved into my new dorm room. As I mentioned in my last blog, I have decided to accept a media relations internship with a baseball team in Florida. This internship is my last requirement I need to fulfill before I graduate in May. The baseball team I will be interning with is the Lakeland Flying Tigers, Single A Affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. As an intern with the Flying Tigers, not only will my meals and housing be covered by the organization, but I will also receive a monthly stipend. I truly feel fortunate to have an opportunity, such as this one.

The dorm I am living in now is currently being renovated. It reminds me of Henderson Hall. The hallways are bare, and there is tile flooring throughout the building. Since some of the players stay here, there are at least two, if not three beds to a room. I have not had the opportunity to settle in yet. As of right now, I am living out of two suitcases and my car is jam packed!

The dorm is part of a complex known as, Tiger Town. Tiger Town also contains a recreation hall, dining hall, administrative offices, practice fields, and Joker Marchant Stadium, spring training home of the Detroit Tigers and summer home of the Flying Tigers.

The dress code for my internship is a collared shirt, khakis, and dress shoes. I still have to purchase an iron so until I do, my bottle of wrinkle releaser is going to be my new best friend! I start work tomorrow at 9 a.m. and I am tentatively scheduled to end around 5 p.m. Since I have previously worked in baseball, I know it is very common to work past 5. For instance, when the spring training and minor league seasons begin, there are days where I may not get out of work until 10 p.m. at the earliest. I think my previous experiences in Minor League Baseball will greatly benefit the internship I will soon begin.

When I last wrote a blog, it was right before Christmas break. In fact, if I remember correctly, I wrote it shortly after I completed my last final. A few days later, I traveled home to Chicago for a few weeks. I spent the majority of the time relaxing and being with my family. My family and I went to Chicago one evening. We walked around Michigan Avenue and ate at the Cheesecake Factory. I remember being very cold that evening and thinking, “Oh how I would love to be in Florida right now!

I celebrated Christmas with my family and my extended family in St. Louis, MO. As always, I had a great time. My dad, sister, grandfather, and I had the opportunity to tour Busch Stadium. The tour guides told us that we would see areas where the average fan normally does not see. For instance, we saw the podium where managers and players speak after games. We also saw the radio room where the Cardinals radio announcers commentate during the game. We even had the opportunity to sit in the Cardinals dugout. Also, while we were in St. Louis, we ate at Albert Pujols’ new restaurant. For the first time in my life, I had fried plantains, and surprisingly they were not too bad!

Tomorrow is my first day as an employee in the real world. I am anxious for my internship to begin. I know I will learn a lot, and I will have the chance to experience many cool things. In my next blog, I will let you know how my internship is going and how life is as a full time employee. Until then, stay warm!

Posted by Ryan Jones at 9:18 PM | Permalink